Lifeline
by Elillierose
Summary: The guys were going to have a bit of a more relaxed night for once, but of course, things never go according to plan. Tasked with picking up a few things for their night in, Prompto has a bit of a run in with a man lurking in the shadows.


**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting**

 **I did a little poll on my Tumblr (Same as my name one here) between this prompt and three others, and this was the one most desired, so here it is. C:**

 **I do hope you guys enjoy it. :D**

* * *

"That'll be three hundred gil."

"Got it," Prompto nodded, digging around in his pocket until his fingers grazed over the coins. retrieving a decent amount, he sifted through them until he counted out the exact amount and dropped them carefully into the cashier's hand. She gave her appreciation with a nod and handed the blond his bag of items. He double checked to make sure he had it all before offering a small wave and a thanks and made his way out.

Prompto pulled out his phone and brought up Noctis in his contacts. 'Got the snacks, I'll be back soon,' he pressed send with a quick glance around and stuffed the device back in his back pocket with a soft sigh. There was scarcely any light left in the day, the orange hues having already descended into that of dimmed grays and blues, and what little there was left was swiftly waning; shadows slowly stretching out across the streets as the lamps flicked to life. He looked up and down the sidewalks, only catching glimpses of others as they made their own journeys back home.

With a light hum of consideration to himself, he twirled on his heel, bag swishing in his grasp, to begin strolling down to his right, his own steps echoing up to his ears. His humming slowly picked up, both in tune as well as volume in an attempt to fill the eerie silence, but if anything it only managed to make things even more unsettling for himself. As he approached about the third lamp post, he was beginning to question whether or not this whole snack run proposition was a good idea; maybe he should have just agreed to let Ignis make all the goods for the night instead. But, the temptation of something a bit more...nostalgic was far too alluring, not to mention, Noctis didn't complain when he suggested it.

He had forgotten how much he loathed being alone at night, but with the excitement of that night's plans, he couldn't have been blamed for that slip of the mind. Unconsciously, he picked up his pace, easily falling into a quickened walk that was teetering on the verge of a gentle jog. It honestly wouldn't have been that uncomfortable had there been a bit more people walking around, but the few that were continued to diminish. His step faltered when he was certain he heard steps that practically mirrored his own, copied step for step. But, they stopped as he did; reluctantly, he picked it back up, and again the steps followed suit, again matching his pattern to nearly identical.

'Probably just mine bouncing off the buildings,' he tried to reason with himself, that was an explainable phenomenon, and it sure wasn't the first time that had happened. Though, his heart wasn't paying any real attention to the logical side of his brain and primarily focused on freaking the fuck out. Prompto took a deep breath and held it for a moment, forcing himself to slow down a little in hopes that it would calm his pulse a little bit. His free hand drifted towards his phone, inclined to dial one of the others so he would at least have someone to talk to and keep him distracted long enough until he was close to their hotel. But, that thought was hastily chased away, the thought of sounding too needy or irrationally scared eating at him.

His humming increased in volume again, the sound trying desperately to block out any other sound, and maybe even his worry would get locked out with it. Within a few minutes, the streets seemed to clear out completely, him being about the only one still occupying them. Hand tightening on the handle of the bag, he finally broke out into the jog, now wanting to return sooner rather than later.

The blond hesitated for only a second when he reached the turn back to their place, and he bit his lip nervously at the lack of available light proved for that way. Guess this street wasn't used enough to be properly looked after and cared to. He bounced on his feet a couple times to prepare himself in a way, and faced his minor fear with that first unsure step. He barely noticed how tense his entire frame was, his walk taking on a stiff cycle as his shoulders rolled back the slightest amount.

Every breeze and each shuffle of trash elicited a startled jolt to run through him, and all hopes of keeping at least a shred of pride and dignity were out the window. He didn't care anymore, he was just ready to get back indoors. Jogging swiftly transitioned into a slow run, and the farther he traveled down this path, the more uneasy he became; it was so damn dark this way, and the only sources of light was a bit of shine form the moon and the lamps filtering in from either direction.

He was only a few yards away form the other side now, and once he reached that, his mind could be put a little more at ease. But, those same reflected steps started up again, only this time they quickly changed from matching his own to almost doubling. "Who's the-" he turned to face whoever it was, his words stolen away by a gasp and a less then gentle shove; one that was strong enough to cause him to lose his balance.

Confused and shocked, he stayed down for a moment, the sound of retreating footfalls echoing off the sides of building almost in a magnified manner. He had no idea what had just happened, it was so fast, and he wasn't even sure he saw anything. His chest was aching from his throbbing heart, causing him to feel slightly light-headed. Slowly shaking his head, he placed a hand against the pavement to push himself up, his side instantly screaming in protested agony. His left hand went immediately to it, and gushes could be felt under his fingers as realization was slowly dawning on him. Prompto couldn't convince himself to tilt his gaze downward and inspect it for himself.

He tried to take a deep breath, but that only made the pain flare almost twice as much and a small whimper forced its way out. The next thought that surfaced was his sudden need to get out of here, to get back and get help; as he sat there, he could feel the flow seeping through his fingers steadily. Using his other arm, he pushed the bag out of the way and used it to brace himself against the ground. Giving a small amount of effort at first, he tried to pull himself closer to one of the buildings. The action tugged tearingly at the wound, getting another pained gasp out of him and he couldn't do it; it hurt to much to try.

Already, things were blurring the smallest amount and his hands were shaking, but he didn't know if that was from blood loss or his terror of the situation setting in. Prompto slowly lowered himself back down in order to gain use of his hand again, and with trembling fingers, he inched it towards his back pocket. More than once, the device slipped from his hand, the sleek surface easily escaping such a frantic grip. "Shit," he hissed out between teeth, his patience thinning while his panic intensified. Finally, taking far longer than he needed right now, he held his phone in his hand. He sifted through his contacts, his thumb scrolling right to the first person he could think of.

Clicking the 'call' option, he pressed it up to his ear, the ringing quickly sounding out to him. "Come on, he muttered, followed by another shuddering exhale as his muscles contracted instinctively with their discomfort. Just as he bit his lip to stifle any sounds, he heard the distinct sound of the line being answered and Noctis' half interested 'Yeah?' was like music to him.

As he opened his mouth to speak, he noticed for the first time just how dry his throat was, and for the first few seconds, all that really came out was shaky breaths. "Prom?" Noctis asked again, an edge of concern on the name.

"Noct..." he uttered, coming out forced and so quiet; he worried that it went unheard by the other. He cleared his throat and went on, "I-I...uh...something's wrong..."

For a moment, he didn't hear anything, not even breathing; he thought maybe connection was lost until the prince finally spoke up again, "Where are you?" He sounded urgent, almost demanding with his tone. "Prompto, what happened?" he never waited for an answer to the first question.

The blond decided to finally risk a gaze downward, carefully prying his hand away from the still bleeding wound in order to steal a peek at it. But, even looking right at it, it was difficult to make anything out in the poor lighting and his sight was swiftly giving out on him. "I-I'm not sure," he stammered, "I...It happened s-so fast." He swallowed past the dryness, "I...uh, I think I w-was stabbed?" he sounded unsure; he didn't remember the initial pain of it, nor did he ever see a blade, he could only assume.

"Prompto, where are you?" Noctis asked again, trying to pronounce each syllable as clear and precise as he were able to. The blond could hear him mutter something off to the side quickly, but couldn't make out what was being said.

He glanced around, the drab colors starting to mix and combine into a near similar haze, nothing really stuck out to him. "Street," he answered plainly, at least remembering that much. "I-I was headed...back to the h-hotel," he took in a shaky breath, the end of it transitioning into a small whine from the action pulling too much on his side.

There was a small sigh from the other end, "I need to know specifically where you are." He tried to clarify it this time, just saying the street could literally mean just about anywhere, plus, he never said exactly what store he was going to, so they couldn't base it off that. "Do you know the name of the street, or what store you came from. We need more to go off of, Prom," his desperation was starting to come off a bit angrily and the tone caused the other to flinch a small amount.

He thought for a moment...but, the name of the place seemed to slip his mind. "Ummm, I...I dun remember," he slurred, he breaths shallowing to help ease the pain from it. His throat coat as he tried to ride out an abrupt wave that decided now was the time it wanted to make itself known.

"How bad is it?" the raven asked the moment he heard the sound of discomfort.

Prompto shrugged, momentarily forgetting that he was physically alone right now. "Not sure," he whispered, pulling his hand away again to try and get a better look at it, "But, s'lot of blood." Noctis wasn't sure if he should have been relieved or highly upset by the casualness in his statement. He sounded nearly panicked at first, but no he was coming off as more and more calm by the second. "Breathin' 'urts," he added tightly, most likely due to him trying to make it though another onslaught without sounding out his displeasure with it.

"I know," he answered, obviously just trying to keep him calm now, "But you need to give me more details. We can't help you if we have no idea where you are," he paused and waited for that hum of understanding before continuing, "There has to be something you see. Anything that will give us something to look for."

He tried to listen intently, but now even his hearing was refusing to cooperate up to his standards, and he could hardly pick up on anything other than, 'Where you are' and 'There has to be something.' Anything other than those were like a jumble of sounds to him. And, he was certain he had already answered that first request, but he said it again. "Street," he repeated, "I-It's dark."

"I know it's dark," Noctis instantly replied, his own fear causing him to quickly lose his patience, "That's not what I need though." He attempted to ask again and clarify a bit more this time, "Do you see anything that stands out to you?"

It took a moment for the question to sink in and be comprehended, but he soon understood and took a few quick glances around. Twisting his head in either direction caused images to stretch and morph though. "No," he whispered, smacking his lips, "Jus'...walls an' sky."

Sighing heavily, the prince moved on to something else, "Ok, ok, what store did you go to? What was the name of it? Do you know?" He could tell he was talking quickly, but he couldn't help it and he prayed that he could at least keep up with his hastened words.

He thought on it for a few seconds, "Um, it was...a general sore?" Prompto closed his eyes as he pondered the question further, what was it? "It...it has a, um...green? I think, color." His concentration was fluctuating along with his other senses, he couldn't force himself to focus on quite anything at the moment.

"Alright, that's good," he muttered something in the background again and heard someone else talking back. The memory of Gladio going with him to pick out a film or two slowly resurfaced; so, that's who he'd been talking too this whole time. "We're gonna get in touch with Ignis, alright? And we're gonna find you, and everything will be fine. Just...just keep talking to me."

"Ok," Prompto replied, shifting subtly and whimpering with it, "How long?"

Noctis didn't answer right away, debating whether or not honesty was the best option right now, but, he didn't want to get his hopes up unnecessarily. "I'm not sure, but as soon as we can."

Prompto nodded and gave a small hum of acknowledgement, his hand unconsciously gripped tighter over the wound in an attempt to better tolerate the pain from it. "I-I'm not far," he muttered, sounding even more out there than before.

"Not far?" Noctis asked, baffled, "Not far from what?"

"Light," he whispered, the silence from the other end instantly notifying him of what he said and what it must have sounded like. "The...street light," he corrected, not missing the relieved exhale on the other side.

"Think you can make it there? It'll make finding you a lot easier," he tried to keep his tone calm and encouraging. "If not, I don't want you to try."

He really had no idea if he could or not; earlier the idea of moving as far as an inch was out of the question, so he highly doubted he could. But, if it meant he could get out of this quicker, then it wouldn't hurt to try. "Yeah," he half whined, twisting in order to see how close he was to the side of the building. The movement alone caused another jolt of agony as well as more warmth to spill out.

"Prompto, don't push it," Noctis warned upon hearing the strangled cry.

Once he was able to catch his breath and get his bearings, he grit out, "S'fine...I-I jus' need...a moment." He tightened his mouth into a straight line and lifted his hand from his side, and even in the dark, he could see the stark colors tainting it. "Noct," he breathed out, "I-I'm gonna hafta put my phone...down for this."

"Alright, just...don't hang up."

"I won't," he promised, placing it on the ground, and with a soft shove, skitted it across the pavement in the direction he planned on going. The blond took a few decent breaths, still wary of taking in any excessive amounts and blinked heavily to try to clear his vision enough. Seeing as it was only bound to get worse from here, he decided it wasn't worth taking any more time to prepare himself and he should just go for it now while he was still awake.

With his mind made up, he reached his free hand out and braced his arm against the cement. And, holding his breath, he tugged his body a few inches towards the adjoining street. It was only a few yards away, but at this pace it felt more along the lines of miles. His lungs needed a few seconds to take in a few gasps of air before he felt he was able to drag himself a few more inches. This process repeated about five times over until the dizziness was too much to handle anymore.

His phone was still a good six feet away, and that was his only drive to keep going. If nothing else, he had to at least make it to that to let Noctis know he was still relatively alright. He could do this, it wasn't much farther to go. Maybe if he didn't think about it and just tried to get it over with as quickly as possible; the sooner it was out of the way, the sooner he could focus on just staying conscious. Closing his eyes, he struggled forward a couple more feet, this time never taking a break in between. And, by the time he did stop for a short breather, the scene before him blurred dangerously as colors obscured his world.

By the flood that was now streaming through his grasp, he knew he was losing way too much, nausea was starting to rush over him as well as a slight chill. The spinning didn't help the sick sensation by any means either, and he bowed his head to stare straight down. The monotone of the grey helped marginally, but it made a difference nonetheless. Time was something he could no longer comprehend; it felt like at least a few minutes that he stayed like that, but he knew that if he looked away now he would either throw up or pass out. Both of which being things he couldn't take right now.

Underneath all the nagging ringing, Prompto could subtly pick up on a mumbled voice, one that was speaking quickly. He risked a glanced off to the side and his eyes landed on his phone, still sitting there with the back-light still shining strongly. "Yeah...yeah, Noct," he uttered between pants, "I...I gettit." For the remained of his short journey, he kept his attention downward, down where things were mostly calm and not nearly as disorienting.

As he inched along, he caught the bluish glow out of the corner of his eye, and that was it, that was far enough. If he could see it, then he could reach it, and he didn't need any more than that. Every limb had trembles traveling through them and his head was both throbbing and felt fuzzy at the same time. With no hesitation, he reached over, feeling along the ground until his fingers brushed over the familiar surface and they instantly wrapped around for dear life. Coughing lightly, he pulled the phone over and lied his head down against it so that both hands could cup over his side.

"N-Noct," he whispered, "Ya still...still there?" That was a dumb question, of course he was.

The raven blew out a long puff of air, "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere. Gladio and I are checking around, alright? Ignis is stopping by the hotel to pick up some potions, so it shouldn't be too long now."

"O-ok. M'sorry."

"For what?" his heart dropped at the unexpected apology, it came out of nowhere and was completely uncalled for.

Prompto breathed in deeply, whole body shuddering, "I didn't m-make it...to the other street." He cut his eyes over to see it only a couple feet away; he made it pretty damn close, but it still wasn't quite there.

"That's alright. I promise, we'll find you," he said with determination, tone taking on a bit more solidity with the declaration. He flinched at the strained and muffled whimper, and he could tell he was trying his best not to make a sound. "Hang on, we're going as quickly as we can."

Prompto chuckled almost nervously, "Imma do...m'best." More sharp currents radiated form his wound, and he curled around it a little bit, biting his lip to wait this one out. "D-Dammit," he swore under his breath as it slowly subsided back into its constant fiery pangs. By the six, he was exhausted, and cold and just all around miserable. He wanted nothing more than to just give his body what it so desperately craved and begged for...sleep. But, Noctis' voice kept pulling him back every time.

"Prom?" he asked when he didn't get a word out for a good ten seconds.

"M'still here," he mumbled, not putting much effort into talking anymore; it took more energy than he cared to provide.

An idea struck him, "Hey, I need you to do something for me. Can you summon your weapon?" he asked in a straight-forward way. "I need you to summon it and let me know if you can."

"Alright," he sighed tiredly, and forced his hand to separate from his soaked side and concentrated with all he had. There were just a few flickers of blue, the basic shape of his gun fluctuating until the full weight of it eventually formed in his grip. That alone was almost too much, causing him to lower his arm to lie across the pavement. "N-Noct...Gottit."

"Good, now, I need you to fire it. I know we're in a city, but it's the fastest way we can locate you. Be careful though..." he knew there was no real need to warn him about that, but he just wanted to be sure he didn't hurt himself any more, or someone else.

Prompto knit his eyebrows together at that request. "Wha?" he asked, wanting to be sure he had heard right.

"I need you to shoot it, Prom. So that I can follow the sound," he repeated, with more emphasis on his words.

That's what he thought he said. He glanced towards the weapon as it lied there comfortably and familiarly in his hand. Well, he guessed if that's what he needed to do. "And I want you to dismiss it as soon as you fire it, we don't need anyone else to know it was you that shot it," Noctis quickly added.

Prompto nodded to himself as he gave a quick glance around, searching for anything he could aim at that wouldn't cause any sort of ricochets. His eyes quickly spotted a bag of trash sitting next to a dumpster and figure that was better than anything else lying around. The gunner took his time aiming, really not wanting to miss and end up hitting the actual dumpster. Once he had it lined as close as he was going to get it, he placed his finger over the trigger and pulled. The sound immediately bounced off the walls, nearly deafening him and eliciting a wince out of him. Following the prince's instructions closely, he did away with the weapon and let his hand relax back against the ground.

There was a short moment of silence following the shot until Noctis uttered, "We're close, almost there." He kept his voice low, mostly likely trying to make sure he did have the direction right.

"Tha's good," Prompto responded, voice growing smaller by the word. He had given up on trying to keep his eyes open by now, it was just too difficult to try anymore. His hand went back to join the other at his side, and he could have sworn it was more saturated than when he last felt it. Damn, he needed him to hurry up. His chest caught with more jolts of fire and he felt a small spasm course through him; as his body calmed down again, he heard a set of footsteps and he felt what blood he had left run cold.

He listened as they grew closer, but then he swore he heard a second pair, heavier and few between. His eyes snapped open and cut over to the lighted street. He could vaguely discern a couple shadows stretching out, one taller than the other as the swiftly extended. "Noctis?" he guessed, trying to speak loud enough to be heard. Then he saw it, that silhouette that greeted him.

"Prom?" the raven rhetorically asked, lowering his phone slowly; Gladio was the first to make a move, the pit of his stomach dropping when his eyes trailed along the smear of dark red across the pavement.

"Holy..." the shield mumbled, crouching down next to the younger man, his hands hovering over pale and trembling ones. "Noctis, call Ignis back and tell him where we are."

"R-right," he stuttered, bringing his phone back up. And, if his hands weren't shaking before, they definitely were now. He knew it couldn't have been good, but seeing him lying there as pale as he was, and in a pool of his own blood, really did not sit well.

As he took care of that, Gladio worked on checking the wound. "Hey, think you can move your hands for me?" he asked, rather gently for him as he cupped the blond's cheek and turned his head to face him. Prompto slowly nodded and unsteadily pulled his hands away to allow access to the area. "Alright, that's good, try to relax if ya can," he pinched the bottom of his shirt, his fingers squishing sickeningly into the fabric, and he carefully peeled it upwards and away. "Shit," he muttered, scanning it over; it wasn't exactly large, only about an inch and a half, but he could tell it was pretty deep.

"This is gonna hurt," the man warned, removing his own jacket. He didn't give the blond time to prepare himself or even process what was said before he draped it over the wound and pressed both hands against it. Gladio had added a lot more pressure than Prompto had, and this fact forced a pained and startled cry out of him. "I'm sorry," the larger apologized quietly, "But I need to slow down the bleeding."

Prompto nodded quickly, more so as a natural reaction upon receiving information, even if he didn't completely understand what was said. A few more subdued whimpers and whines escaped pressed lips, and the other could feel his muscles twitching underneath his hands.

"Ignis should be here soon," Noctis filled in, crouching on the other side of the blond. "How...how bad?" he asked, flicking his eyes up to Gladio.

He slowly shook his head, "The wound itself isn't that severe, but the amount of blood is what really worries me." He unwittingly glanced at the smudge of blood that the gunner had left in his wake, the prince looked to it as well and he felt the color drain from him. There was so much, he wondered how anyone could still be alive after that. "His skin is a bit cool," he quietly added.

As soon as those words left his mouth, he cut his gaze over to the prince in time to see him remove his own jacket and gently place it over Prompto's upper body. "Prom? You still with us?" he placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. There was a subtle nod as his answer. "Ignis will be here shortly; he's bringing a few potions, so hang in there for a little bit longer."

"I'll try," he breathed out, cracking open one eye to see the others, almost as if to make sure they were really there.

Luckily, Prompto was right when he said he was close to the hotel; it took the adviser a mere few minutes to get there. Either that, or he ran over as quickly as he were able. Less than gently, he took Noctis' spot next to the gunner, "Let me see it." He nodded towards the crimson-dyed material above Gladio's hands. Complying, the shield eased his hands away and took his jacket with them.

Ignis had about the same reaction as the others, he just happened to be better at hiding it as his expression never faltered to show his true feelings towards it. Breathing out heavily through his nose, he retrieved one of the many potions from his bag; he wasn't sure how bad things were gonna be when he arrived, so he thought it best to be thoroughly prepared. "This might sting a bit," he warned, popping the cap off the first vial. Slowly, he began pouring the warm liquid over the puncture wound, and a hissing sound instantly wafted up from it.

The burning hit like a truck, and the blond jerked from the flames licking at the edges of. "Easy," Gladio placed on hand on his hip and the other on his shoulder to try and hold him still. Ignis continued pouring until it was all gone, every drop and tossed it back in the bag with the others.

"Prompto, think you can drink something?" the brunet asked, taking out another. "I'm not sure if there's any internal damage, but there's no harm in being safe." He waited for that light and hesitant nod. "Gladio, help him sit up."

He slid one arm under Prompto's shoulder, "Just nod when you're ready." It took a few seconds, but eventually he gave the signal to go ahead, and slowly, he was hefted up. The change in position made everything twist and turn around him and the nauseous feeling returned with a vengeance. The others didn't think his face could have gone anymore pallid, but the were instantly proven that it was indeed possible. "Take your time," Gladio said, holding the entirety of his weight against him.

Prompto waited until he was positive he wasn't going to throw up before he assured them he was ready. Again, Ignis uncapped the potion and placed it against his lips for him. "Drink slowly and as much as you can," he gently tilted it forward to allow a small trickle to drip in. He kept this up until the other promptly pulled away from it and hummed his disapproval. "That's alright, you got more down than I had hoped."

His head was still spinning, and those damn colors still teased him while blackness haunted the corners of his eyes. "Prompto?" Gladio asked, feeling the tension drain slightly, "Hey, ya gotta stay awake." Anything that was said however just went straight through his ears, his brain never clinging to a single syllable. The brute shook gently, but still earned no reaction, "Son of a bitch."

"We need to get him to a hospital," Ignis announced, no longer keeping his cool as he shot up to his feet, phone already in hand. He walked off as he dialed the appropriate number, leaving behind a horrified prince and a slightly shocked shield.

* * *

Everything felt so heavy and...weak, he guessed he could say; his head felt like it had been filled to the brim with cotton and it pulsed with dull throbs. He shifted naturally, the sheet beneath him ruffling with the movement. That's the first thing that struck him as really odd. Last he remembered, he was on the cold hard pavement, not soft and comfortable bedding. The next thing was the smell, which seemed overly clean to him, almost laced with a chemical scent. What the hell was this?

Prompto tried to open his eyes, but those were weighted down as well. So, the next best thing was to speak. But, of course, his throat was scratchy and sore, and all that came out was a painful sounding groan.

"Prompto?" he instinctively turned his head towards the source of his name. "About time you woke up, it's been about a day." The playful annoyance in that tone instantly told him who it was.

"Shud-up," he mumbled, voice hoarse and hardly audible. He tried again to open his eyes, and this time managed to crack the right one just enough to make out Noctis' blurred features. "Where'm I?" he asked groggily.

Someone else stepped up to stand next to the prince, and he could easily spot the glasses upon his face. "Hospital," Ignis flatly answered, "You were in need of a blood transfusion...or two." He took a deep breath, "I know you just woke up and are probably still a bit out of it and confused, but Prompto, you were mugged and stabbed out there. So, we need to know, did you catch the face of the person that did this?"

The blond sighed sadly and exhaustedly, "Sorry, but I didn't. It jus' happened. By th'time I realized what happened, they were gone." He shrugged, not seeming to be too concerned about the whole thing, despite the fact that he could have easily been killed. "S'alright though," he cracked both eyes now, squinting as he tried to clear up his sight. As he tried to focus, his impaired senses subtly became aware of someone new entering the room.

"Ah," it was a feminine voice...so not Gladio, "See you're awake. How are you feeling?" Well, it wasn't someone he recognized, so he figured it was safe to assume it was a nurse.

His brows lowered in though, "I dunno...tired."

"That's to be expected," she replied cheerfully, "Anything else?"

Taking another moment to ponder, he slowly shook his head, "Nah, jus' tired...and why is everythin' so heavy?"

"Well, from the amount of blood loss, I'm sure your body just needs a bit of time to adjust and catch up with everything. It shouldn't take too long before you're back to your old self," as she spoke, her features slowly started to become clearly, and he really hoped it wasn't showing in his face, but she actually was not bad on the eyes.

"Uhhhh, r-right," he stammered. feeling the heat in his face.

"Tell me, think you're up to try and eat something?"

He only stared at her for a moment, his eyes flicking to her red curls. "I-I proooobably can," he swallowed thickly and flicked his eyes away before the trailed too far down and she got the wrong idea.

"I'll be right back, hope you like jell-o."

"Try and keep it in your pants...er, gown," Prompto jumped at the gruff voice and his attention jolted to his left, Gladio standing straight only a couple feet away. He never noticed anyone was even over there.

Before he had the chance at a comeback, the nurse returned, cup in one hand and spoon in the other. "Think you have enough strength to handle this yourself, or do you need a bit of help?"

His eyes widened what little they were able, "I'm not sure." It was true enough, he wasn't sure if he could even lift his arms right now. Plus, it didn't hurt that she insinuated assisting if he weren't able to feed himself. And, despite being slightly confused and groggy, wasn't something he could just pass up.

As she stepped forward to lend a hand, the pager on her hip blared out, "Oh, excuse me, I have to go take care of another patient." She handed to container to Ignis, seeing as he was closest, "Think you can help him out?"

"Certainly," the brunet nodded, and cut his eyes over to Prompto with a sly and knowing grin on his face.

"Great!" she clapped her hands, "Make sure it's small bites, and don't go too fast," she informed before turning on her heel. "I'll be back later to check in, and if you need anything, there is a pager next to your bed. Don't hesitate to use it, and someone will be right over." She offered a small wave and nearly skipped out.

Prompto scowled slightly as the adviser took the spot next to him, already scooping a spoonful. "Well, maybe not what you had hoped for," Noctis teased, "But at least he's as dainty as a woman."

The blond rolled his eyes, but still allowed Gladio to help him sit up again and let Ignis spoon feed him...even if it did mortify him to no end. "I hate this," he muttered sourly.

"You'll get over it," Ignis replied, scooping up another spoonful. Then his face dropped into a more serious expression, "This shouldn't have happened. We shouldn't have allowed you to go out there alone." He caught the hurt flash across his face. "Look, Prompto, it has nothing to do with you, or your abilities. But, this is something that could have been avoided had you had someone with you. This could have happened to any of us had we been alone. Some people are just, dare I say, professionals at being hoodlums."

"Ignis, don't worry about it," the other responded, looking away, "I'm not blaming anyone for what happened. So, no one else should either. Except for the bastard that did this...of course."

The man exhaled slowly, "Still, it could have been avoided. But, we can't undo what's been done. Best we can do is learn from it. From now on, I say no one travels alone at night, no matter the circumstances. I don't care if it's two feet out the door, it's not happening."

"Yes, mom," Prompto pursed his lips, instantly cutting through the unwanted tension in the air. "But, yeah, I think I have to agree. That, uh, wasn't fun, and I don't feel like trying it again." He took a deep and relaxed breath as he slowly sank back against the sheets.

"You should try and get more sleep. As soon as you're feeling back to your old self, the sooner you can get out of here," Noctis gave small smile, knowing the promise of leaving this placed was plenty of motivation. He offered his friend a mirrored smile and a nod. He didn't need to be told twice, his eyes were already working on covering themselves back up. "We'll be here when ya wake up."

* * *

 **The second most wanted one was a confused Gladio attacking the party, so that will be the next one shot...which may be a while. o3o**

 **Since, I'm doing a story for every day of FFXVWeek, one of which is gonna be another chapter story.**


End file.
